The Occupation Forces project is the invasion of our public space by alien invaders. Augmented reality is used in conjunction with mobile devices [iPhone 3GS - Android coming soon] at site specific locations to create a large scale narrative. The project merges an alternate reality with the local resident’s [viewer’s] everyday life. The viewer’s experience is any unfolding narrative through time and space which transforms their daily real-world existence into something otherworldly and thought-provoking. The project encourages viewers to explore their natural surroundings, letting them see it in a way they never have before.

The project mixes alien invasion mythology with contemporary images of a foreign troops' occupation. As viewers go about their daily activities they see what it is like to be a country under occupation. The aliens attempt and fail at controlling a stylized consumer society. The figures small scale, cute proportions, and strange actions make it hard ...

Full Description

The Occupation Forces project is the invasion of our public space by alien invaders. Augmented reality is used in conjunction with mobile devices [iPhone 3GS - Android coming soon] at site specific locations to create a large scale narrative. The project merges an alternate reality with the local resident’s [viewer’s] everyday life. The viewer’s experience is any unfolding narrative through time and space which transforms their daily real-world existence into something otherworldly and thought-provoking. The project encourages viewers to explore their natural surroundings, letting them see it in a way they never have before.

The project mixes alien invasion mythology with contemporary images of a foreign troops' occupation. As viewers go about their daily activities they see what it is like to be a country under occupation. The aliens attempt and fail at controlling a stylized consumer society. The figures small scale, cute proportions, and strange actions make it hard for viewers to take them seriously. Users question whether the alien invaders are actually in control.
Viewers may freely download and install the project on their mobile device. When the viewer launches the Occupation Forces iPhone or Android app they are able to see the alien’s invasion at different site specific locations throughout the real world. What the user sees is an augmented reality, a mix of the virtual aliens and a live video of the real world seen through the user’s mobile device. The virtual aliens stay in alignment with the real world thanks to GPS and or a tracking marker [depending on the app which is running].
The different groups of alien figures the viewer encounters do different things. Some aliens might be patrolling the city block, trying to set up a perimeter. Some aliens work at the entrance to a subway or a bus stop where they will try to set up a checkpoint. Aliens may trying to interrogate the viewer. Viewers are not able to understand the aliens because of their strange R2D2 like language. Other aliens may also ignore viewers and continue what they were doing. All the while the alien’s actions work towards a larger narrative. This narrative will grow as the viewer explores the public space. The alien’s actions always change according to their surroundings so the viewer’s experience is never the same twice.